G’day & Kia ora!

Welcome…

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… To my blog. I’m a social democrat, with centre-left tendencies in some areas; centrist in others; and centre-right in bugger-all (if any).

If you look over to the right (excuse the implications), you’ll see a brief list of my beliefs for a better New Zealand. Funny thing – we used to have so many of those things in this country, once upon a time…

And below that, a list of my Recent Posts. Feel free to have a read and, if you’re inclined, leave a comment. I welcome your ideas and responses to my comments. (Please note that most of my blogposts first appear on The Daily Blog, and are then re-published here five to seven days later. So check out both blogs – there are heaps of excellent writers on TDB!)

Recent Blogposts

Upcoming events

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Experience demands that the rich are the only animal of his own kind that are not lazy enough not to prey on the poor.

[Post refers to Quote-Of-The-Week: “Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.” (Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826) – Admin.]

I like your posts, Frank. But New Zealand is still the name of our country – not Aotearoa New Zealand. Actually you won’t find Aotearoa mentioned in either the English or Maori versions of the Treaty of Waitangi. Only a name, Niu Tirani (or Nu Tirani). Just a little point between friends?

Actually the Key led government is making me sick; Rob mulddon would turn in his grave.

I guess if Maori want to use the name “Niu Tirani”, I’d be comfortable with that as well. At present, the name collectively agreed-on seems to be “Aotearoa”, and I’m ok with following their preference.

As an aside… When the Russians were occupying my parents’ homeland, in Eastern Europe, they made learning Russian compulsory in our schools. As the Occupier with the biggest guns, they were able to do whatever they wanted in terms of promoting their culture.

It gave me a peculiar insight into how Maori might feel when we make changes to their names; mis-pronounce their words; relegate their language; etc.

Personally, I like the fact that, like Canada and other nations, we are bi-lingual (or tri-lingual, if you include ‘Sign’) and can make that a point of difference from the rest of the world…🙂

Oh the irony of left wing bloggers who constantly engage in censorship of opposing points of view moaning about one of their own being banned from appearing on State radio for a mindless and completely biased rant.

It is quite clear why he got ‘banned’. He basically stated as fact that the PM was blaming the Labour Party for the guy attempting to jump over the barrier at Parliament and that he made some sort of offensive gesture. These have both been denied by the PM. Hence there was no sense of balance in his little rant.

That was the Treaty Frank, not a Pakeha opinion. But Maori don’t have the right to change the name of our country, anyway, a majority of Kiwis do.

But that is immaterial when the fascists are at the door.

And now dissidents will be publicly reviled as being against the better interests of the country. I cut my political teeth on Muldoonism, – these are over- privileged wankers! I love it when they have a crack at me. The problem is we only have one daily newspaper now, and it is difficult to get your opinion published. They are reluctant to publish anti-Key statements. I’m not anti-semetic, but I can understand why some were abused if they operated like Key?

Gosman do you ever see beyond your own nose? Trying to justify Key is just unbelievable. You’re ok with banning people just because they disagree with your precious politicians? I bet you wouldn’t be so happy if it was someone you agreed with!

…It is quite clear why he got ‘banned’. He basically stated as fact that the PM was blaming the Labour Party for the guy attempting to jump over the barrier at Parliament and that he made some sort of offensive gesture. These have both been denied by the PM. Hence there was no sense of balance in his little rant.

…It is quite clear why he got ‘banned’. He basically stated as fact that the PM was blaming the Labour Party for the guy attempting to jump over the barrier at Parliament and that he made some sort of offensive gesture. These have both been denied by the PM. Hence there was no sense of balance in his little rant.

Excellent! Thanks for that, Peter! I had heard that TV3 did a story on it – whereas TV1 News totally ignored the issue! (Our state broadcasters are getting absolutely hopeless!) I’d been meaning to find that TV3 xsegment but kept forgetting.

It’s an amazing piece of footage. It shows Key in the very uncomfortable position of having to explain himself – and you can tell that he’s covering up a lie. He’s lied and has been caught out; his facial expression, tone of speech, and body language gives him away.

Great site Frank, just found it thru your link on Dompost comments today, i’ll have a good look around and read when i get home from work tonight, how right you are about the billboards, the tagging, moustaches, swastikas, and genatalia are far more offensive than the stickers being refered to, infact they blend in so well alot would prob not even notice

Great site Frank, just found it thru your link on Dompost comments today, i’ll have a good look around and read when i get home from work tonight, how right you are about the billboards, the tagging, moustaches, swastikas, and genatalia are far more offensive than the stickers being refered to, infact they blend in so well alot would prob not even notice

I saw your spam on Stuff. I also noted the things you support include “Being nice to each other”.

So why are you so nasty about our Prime Minister? You hate him because he is rich? That’s not a very good reason. You seem quite irrational in your intense hatred for someone who has done a hell of a lot of good for our country.

I saw your spam on Stuff. I also noted the things you support include “Being nice to each other”.

So why are you so nasty about our Prime Minister? You hate him because he is rich? That’s not a very good reason. You seem quite irrational in your intense hatred for someone who has done a hell of a lot of good for our country.

Hi Tristan.

No, I don’t “hate” John Key.

But I dislike some of the things he has done, and things he is planning to do. Hence why I have criticised his policies.

You see, Tristan, we live in a democracy where one is permitted to criticise actions by our elected representatives. Unlike North Korea, where everyone must love their Dear Leader (or end up in a Labour Camp).

Have you ever lived in a One Party state, Tristan, where you were not allowed to criticise the party and/or leader of the country? I have. In the late 1970s I lived in an Eastern European country for about a year. I had to be very careful what I said, in public. Sometimes even in private situations, I had to be careful of who was around me, in case someone was an informer.

Would you like to live in a country like that, Tristan?

I would be interested to know what examples you can offer when you claim that John Key is “someone who has done a hell of a lot of good for our country”.

Also, Aotearoa New Zealand is quite commonly used nowadays. I’m not sure when it was first used, but many social justice groups, NGOs and other national organizations use it as an official part of their name. I like it. It indicates strong recognition of the country’s history and projects a sense togetherness. The less we sweep under the carpet the better we can deal with it and move forward.

Yup. Plus it kinda rolls of the tongue quite nicely; Aotearoanewzealand. Hmmmm, it could just about be a whole new naming, describing the First People and subsequent arrivals…

If we take the diversity of all cultures and revel in the best that each can offer, instead of fearing change, I think it might lift us out of the dark underbelly of this country. It may be the wellspring source for a whole new pride (as our American cuzzies take pride in their Star Spangled Banner; the French in their culture;the Japanese in theirs, etc…)

The fault is on both sides. I was taught “Lead by Example”. Every generation has to relearn this. No one needs a salary of $200,000 or more. How can they call on others to suffer Austerity if they have not experienced it. “Lead by Example”. If a politician or civil servant feels that a job owes him $300,000 /yr he does not like the job, only the money, and should seek employment elsewhere. In every life some rain must fall, but money will not stop it raining.

That’s news to me, a New Zealand citizen aged 31 years, unemployed and holding a B.Sc. in Geography and a Postgraduate Diploma of Science in Hazard Management. Would Mr Key mind living in my shoes for a week on $210 from W.I.N.Z. a week, applying for jobs every day, quite aware that if W.I.N.Z. find me a job before I find myself a job – I have to accept it or risk having my benefit cut.

I work when the ends justifies the means, if I work so someone I don’t know gains more income than I do for doing their work and or society and or the environment is worse off because of that work the ends doesn’t justify the means, by not doing such work, I’m minimizing my carbon footprint and providing the opportunity for someone with a family to support the means to do so. Workers wages and conditions have not been condusive to me working for large companies since 1986, so I’ve been on strike since then. It’s not a lifestyle choice I simply do what’s right.

What a splendid blog site! The best I have ever encountered…by turns serious and humorous, it really does inform and entertain, and by golly it does you good. The John
Key Looks At feature is hilarious. Though with those eyes it hard to discern if he prefers
looking at drag queens or mince pies.
Satire in the Private Eye class. Congratulations to all concerned with the production of this
web site. I have signed up to follow, but not in The Dear Leader kind of way. Cheers.

Hi Frank
Any chance of you putting up your excellent blog on the GCSB which is on The Daily Blog today ?
I’d like to copy it and send it to my bro overseas, but I cannot copy anything off The Daily Blog.
Or could you just email it to me please.
Thanks.

HI. I was reading your article on polling (on the daily blog site) and thought that would mention that the BC election of May 2013 was a pollsters’ disaster. Every major poll was wrong by much more than the margin of error – leaving everyone (or at least all skeptics) to wonder (a) if the election was rigged (and thus the polls were wrong) or (b) the election was correct and the polls were rigged.

With respect to land lines, many households will retain the land line for a monitored alarm system. Wireless (ie off the grid) monitoring is increasingly common but requires capital outlay (over $1000). I suspect that only the well off have alarm systems and only the comfortably well off have monitored alarm systems (although in Vancouver an alarm system must be monitored). This would suggest that those with land lines are both older (as home owners) and richer than those without. However, they may not be Conservative Party supporters as they do not rely on faith to protect their stuff?

HI FRANK,
I just read your blog about me (2011) which features high on the list for anyone who might “Google” my name.
Your comments indicate that you have some limitation in understanding of my case.
I, in 1997, acted upon what was then deemed to be prudent advice for medical professionals by setting up a family trust. I then became an employee of the trust via a company. At that time there was NO TAX RATE DIFFERENTIAL between individuals and companies nor was a future differential contemplated. I took further advice as to what was an appropriate salary to be paid and acted accordingly. (the rate of a full time public hospital salary.)
I received some bonuses to clear personal debt and carried on with that base salary.
When the tax laws changed in year 2000 I changed nothing but because of a marital break up at the same time I no longer received (or needed) the bonuses.
The IRD latterly contended that that change amounted to or provided evidence of tax avoidance behaviour.
They approached me in 2004 or thereabouts with a tax debt notice including 100% penalties.
Gary Hooper and I challenged their decision acting upon very learned accountancy and legal advice.
It appeared to us unfair that the IRD had changed the rules in year 2000 (despite having been advised by senior tax advisors including John Sherwin that their changes would cause ambiguity)had not clarified conflicts arising from trusts such as mine and were using us as scapegoats without due consultation and notification in a punitive manner.
A high court judge agreed completely with our stance as did one judge in the Court of Appeal. Ultimately the Supreme Court ruled against our appeal perhaps from a ‘greater good’ stance.
Your rhetoric is inappropriate. Gary Hooper and I pay tax and have always done so. The financial rewards of our endeavours have not been concealed.
We took a stance against what we deemed to be procedural unfairness and were prepared to put our heads up to make a stand. Ultimately, whilst we lost the case, that stance has help clarify tax law application in this country.

Hi Frank – given the email message sent to PM’s office re Judith Collins and the mention therein of Jarad Savage giving info to WhaleOil – is there anything there that you can follow up with your Donaghaue Liu complaint to Press Council ? ? ?

How many people in Wellington central voted for Social Democrats in the last election?
Have you done a tally with the SD as the numbers seems off to me?

In this corrupt system that said in the last election the unpopular “John Key Wins with record numbers but we will not prove it just believe us” & ” if you don’t believe us prove voting fraud”. “Its not who votes the counts but who counts the votes”
Its the same power(the Crown)that was behind the recent exposed case of Scottish voting fraud ( done to prevent their independence from the Bank of England’s Crown).

Hi Frank
If you didn’t hear Jock Anderson on Jim Mora’s programme today, Oct 31, I would urge you to have a listen (link below). I could hardly believe my ears. It’s another attempt by the powers-that-be to browbeat a journalist in the most blatant way.
Cheers
Fern
(http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20155513)
(Jock is at 8:40)

Moan, moan, moan.
Lefties….HA!!!!!
Either a corrupt system, everything should be free, should pay less tax, right wing stuffing up everything so everyone off to australia where everyone is better off (liberal in power in australia which also is right wing??????? We also have lazy people in Australia but maybe fewer than in NZ.), should have more unions so we all get more….lazy people get more….hard workers get less……moan, moan, moan.
Rich(hard workers who built up their nett worth) should pay more , bludgers, lazy , unemployed should pay less moan, moan moan.
GET A JOB!

Just wanted to say “Thank You” for all your excellent and invariably well-researched posts on “The Daily Blog”. I’ve only just now discovered that you have a blog of your own, so i’ll be looking at it often and maybe posting comments in the new year.

Wishing you all the best for a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

And “Hey!” Why are you “hiding your bushel under a candle”? You are probably one of the most significant political commentators in this country and yet it is only today that i discovered that you have a website of your own. (Ulp, . . . may all be my own fault entirely . . . I’m getting old).

2015 could be a lot of fun.

Cheers, and ‘ave one for me if you feel like it – I think we all believe in the same cause!
Best wishes, and may those inspired and totally relevant, pertinent postings keep on coming!

-Murray Simmonds

p.s. (And here was me, in my ignorance, thinking that you might be of Scottish origin (to judge, incorrectly, from the name!).

First thing this morning (31 Dec 2014) all I could see were images of very large drops of rain against a grey, grey sky on the views from the lookout windows. According to the website the views are updated every 15 mins.

I checked in again around 11 am and surprise, surprise, clear blue skies with nor’West clouds in all posted views. I thought, ‘Wow, that is a dramatic change in the weather down there!’

So then I thought ‘What if the aim of the game is to promote Tekapo Tourism, REGARDLESS of the actual weather’. Seemed to me to be the sort of thing that our PM, as Minister of Tourism would support, if not encourage.

So I began monitoring the shadows cast by foreground objects, and also the cloud patterns and their cast shadows on the hills. To my non-surprise, neither moved for about an hour around mid-day (despite a howling Nor’wester in the area according to Met service).

Check it out for yourself at the Tourism NZ website if you have nothing better to do (as I apparently have). Like so much that is National party policy, we only get to hear the GOOD news – the bits that would meet with the approval of our zero-integrity PM. If the news is bad, and might not encourage business, then its fudged, lied about, call-it-what-you-will.

As far as Tourism NZ goes, it looks a bit like “LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP!”

Is this the sort of thing that will do our fragile tourist industry any good in the long term? Or does the reputation of NZ as a tourist destination only matter for the current three-year parliamentary term?

I recently saw a blog post from a bloke in the US who is claiming that unemployment figures have moved from the realm of wishful thinking into fantasy and nonsense. He broke down population figures and fulltime employment numbers to produce a real unemployment figure of around 47%.

I wonder if a similar analysis would not be relevant to New Zealand – because if we want unemployment and underemployment solved policymakers need to be deal with reality. The global economic climate is worsening and countries that recognise this and prepare will fare better than those led by self-interested purveyors of empty promises like John key.

I suspect real unemployment is much higher that current stats show, here in NZ. Five yearly census surveys usually always return a higher unemployment figure than the quarterly HLFS (Household Labour Force Survey). When one factors in under-employment; under-the-table part-time/casual work; home-carers; and those who’ce “dropped off” the picture entirely – yes, our unemployment is much higher than the current official 5.8% now showing.

As for much much it really is, is anyone’s guess.

If you find a link to that blogpost you referred to, I’d be interested in reading it, Stuart. Thanks.

Dear Frank,
I am writing to your blog because the other one killed me off as she didn’t like my reply. I don’t mind really as my 10 days of reading Minto’s blog made me realise it’s ok to publish rants that the Canterbury earthquakes were caused by the US or that the French Government was behind the recent Paris bombings, but be very, very aware of the censors pencil if trying to get a different point of view across, even if it’s the absolute truth.
Read my post again and then your reply where you dismissed me for being “Islamophobic” and having a “Shallow view of world affairs.”
My post was Indonesia specific, not world ,but after your personal attack you go back to the Middle East, of which I have no first hand experience so don’t feel qualified to comment.
I have spent more than 40% of my time in Indonesia for the last 28 years so feel that I do have some experience, rather than getting stuff off the web which you seem to assume is all true.
You refer to my experience as “anecdotes” but that’s what happened.
Islamophobic? No Frank, wrong again.
In April1988 I employed a young Muslim man from Java named Suwito as he was by far the best man for the job. Two years later we employed his girlfriend, Bon, also a Muslim, who subsequently became his wife.
They had two children and we have always treated this family as our own. We have paid all medical and dental fees and other things which would impact on their salaries.( for example getting the childrens teeth straightened was beyond their means.)
They look upon us as their family too and call us “mother and father.”
They are still in our employ today 27 years later and live in a house where the rent is paid by us, so you may understand why your accusation was highly offensive.
Why did you think you were qualified to make that slur Frank? You know nothing about me except you previously labelled me as “white middle class” my reply to which was also censored, probably because I said I would get a quicker suntan than you. Clue. My mother’s name was Rata.
I also know many other Muslims, most of whom I trust and some I count as friends.
You also make a firm statement about my eyes being closed to suffering of others who do not happen to be Western.
How do you know that Frank?
I find that accusation highly offensive too.
We were in Bali at the time of both Bali bombings and personally knew two staff members who were killed at Sari Club and saw first hand the the effects. In the second attack at Jimbaran we were involved in counciling a young waiter we knew named Punama, who was traumatised by the bloody head which landed at his feet.
We also run a business in NE Bali which employs 10 Balinese who each take home a pay packet to a family with no other cash incomes. The effort and investment we put into this business is not commensurate with returns, but that’s not the point…. it’s about giving back to a community we care about.
I could tell you about putting toilets and water into the 8 schools in that area, and work identifyning cleft lip and palate children, and older people cataract blind and organising repairs. If you have ever seen the look on the faces of people who have been blind for years when the bandages come off , or a disfigured child transformed, it would probably even bring a lump to your throat, but you wouldn’t be interested in that as it doesn’t fit with your view.
Frank, everything I have said is true and I can verify it…except for the tee shirt as I didn’t buy one of the disgusting things but you can find similar on the web.
My phone number is {phone number redacted}. I can give you Suwito’s phone number in Bali and that of our Balinese business partner, Anik. I can also give you the number of Michael Hughes an Australian who lives in Brisbane who would confirm my account of the week we spent in Java in 2001 sourcing furniture for his importing business.
it would be good if you could either:
Take me to account and get me to prove that what I have said is true
or,
apologise for attackng me on two fronts where you are totally wrong.

Personally ( can’t really say Frankly can I ) I don’t expect to hear from you but perhaps you will be more moderate in your personal attacks on people you know absolutely nothing about in future.

Make no mistake, this is a direct consequence of National’s laissez-faire approach and an opportunistic reliance on mass immigration to keep the economy afloat at a time when dairying is no longer the main driver of economic growth.

I read this in your blog, which I appreciated discovering, after googling your name at the foot of a good letter in the DomPost. What I’d like to know is: what is this mass immigration that is keeping the economy float? Are you referring to international students? (I think the numbers are falling), or construction workers in Chch? I know quite a few immigrants including refugees. All the people I know want to contribute to our economy by having jobs and paying taxes, but they find it extremely difficult to get work. Many are professionals but instead of working in their professions (civil engineering, physiotherapy, pathology. occupational therapy, PhD graduate from NZ university to mention some jobs) they are employed in low skilled jobs. In the case of refugees, we need to improve things so that those who want work move quickly through WINZ and into paid work. We’ve spoken to Grant robertson on this, and he agrees – but would he walk the talk?